Polymeric films are often used with other materials, for example by coating or laminating polymeric films to form a laminate or composite which exhibits improved properties, compared to the component materials. It is well known in the art that many coating or adhesive compositions do not adhere well to various types of polymeric film. In addition, inks and lacquers do not generally adhere well to polymeric films. The adhesive property of polymeric base films can be improved by applying a primer layer of a coating material which is more receptive to subsequently applied coating layers. Unfortunately, a primer layer will generally only improve the adhesion of a particular type of coating, ink or lacquer, being compatible with a subsequently applied aqueous or organic solvent-based coating medium, but not with both.
The tendency of polymeric films to accumulate detrimental static electrical charges on surfaces thereof is well known. The presence of such charges creates a variety of problems including the attraction of dust and other contaminants to the film surface, the creation of a potential explosion hazard in the presence of organic solvents, difficulties in feeding the films through film handling and treating equipment, blocking, ie the adhesion of the film to itself or to other films, and the risk of fogging subsequently applied light-sensitive coating layers. Antistatic agents can be applied to a polymeric film from a suitable coating or priming composition, but the relatively high concentration at which such agents must be present to provide effective antistatic behavior is usually such as will interfere with the adhesion promoting properties of the primer layer.